Spring grass alert

[Marsha Cassada]

I've been allowing my horses access to the pasture for 8 hours a day lately. But I've noticed the last few days they have had hot feet, so yesterday I asked the hoof trimmer and he said no more than 4 hours a day access to the pasture. He is warning all his clients about the ideal conditions for laminitis here this year.

The drought has caused such a change in pastures, plus so much hay is trucked in from far away that our horses have not had consistent forage for a couple of years.

I've never had a problem with mine until last year. And now I am paranoid about hot feet. They are confined to a dry corral except for a maximum grazing time of 4 hours per day. We are not happy! Confinement brings out all the unpleasant little personality quirks--such as the desire to paw all the water out of the water tubs.

 

[Jean_B]

That first green grass of the year (and that last little burst of green in October) are the hottest and worst for causing founder. My mares are out on almost 15 acres of pasture but it is crappy, scraggly mountain/prairie grass (no alfalfa, bermuda, or fescue) so the grass is really sparse (lots of mountain rock outcroppings) and they cover a lot of ground looking for any bits of grass, despite our wet spring. But I'm watching their feet closely. A neighbor "down in the valley" wasn't so lucky because she has really lush grass...and LOTS of mud, and all of her horses are having major problems with their feet.

 

[chandab]

If you haven't seen it before, check out the safergrass website: http://www.safergrass.org/ Lots of good information about the best time to graze, what to watch out for, etc.

 

[MyMiniGal]

Right now, where I board my mini, the owner is watching for hot hooves a lot. She's had a couple of her bigger horses have hot hooves, after letting them graze for around 5 hrs. So she has had to drop it way down. . We've had a massive amount of rain lately too. Two inches in just two days. So this wet weather is going to make it super lush. For Halo she is let out, in this tiny grassy area, that not much grass is in. Just to be on the safe side. She is let out with another bigger horse, that has Cushings. I did just purchase a grazing muzzle, to try, as eventually the owner wants to let Halo out in a better pasture. The breeder, that I got Halo from, said they only let their mini's out for about 15-30 mins. a day, since our spring grass is so lush here in Oregon. I am so thankful to the ranch owner to be checking hooves so much and adjusting their times out in pasture accordingly. Right now, due to the rain and much, they have all been kept in their paddocks, getting their hay and no grass.

 

[LB27]

You can describe what you mean by 'hot feet'?

 

[MyMiniGal]

Where I board my Mini, the ranch owner says every single day, she feels their hooves. She said a normal hoof is on the cool side. If they feel a bit warm that means they got too much pasture time. I trust her and am so glad she checks them all the time. That way she regulates their pasture time. And I guess super hot hooves is a warning sign that one needs to cut out the grass time and pray they aren't going to founder.

 

[LB27]

MyMiniGal: Thanks for the info! I will definately be checking them now. My mini's pasture has just barely started to grow so I haven't been worried about limiting her but I will be checking her hooves to be sure.

 

[MyMiniGal]

Your welcome. I guess short grass isn't as much as a worry as the super lush, tall grass, but I am new to this so just going by what the breeder and ranch owner has said. I live in Oregon and we get a lot of Winter and Spring rain. Then where we live we get super dry and hot during summer. But right now, we have some areas that are about a foot high. Due to we can't mow, because it is so wet.

 

[wildoak]

We've had such a drought here the last couple of years that there isn't much lush grass, not something I'm ordinarily thankful for lol. We did plant winter rye grass though and everywhere the horses don't normally graze it's up in spades. Seems like a waste not to graze it but I only have a few who get very limited access to it for now.

Jan

 

[Marsha Cassada]

You can describe what you mean by 'hot feet'?

Feel of the hooves. You will feel an unnatural heat, like a fever. The horse might even be moving restlessly, as though unwilling to stand on the hot feet. Get him on a dry lot and only offer maybe soaked timothy pellets or dry hay. You can make a cool mud puddle to give relief.

 

[little lady]

Unfortunately once you feel heat the problem has already started.

 

[shorthorsemom]

ditto, problem once the hooves are hot you may already be having problems. Non vet simple founder explanation for newbies is that blood rushes to the hoof and builds up pressure. This pressure has no where to go. The coffin bone begins to rotate to aleviate pressure.. It can rotate through the bottom of the feet if not treated quickly. You should really be feeling for a digital pulse rather than for hot feet. On a 90 degree day the feet can feel hot just because it is hot out. Know what your horses "resting digital pulse" feels like then check pulse and when it is starting to increase and you can feel it strongly you should be taking immediate measures to keep horse from foundering, remove from pasture, cool feet etc. Good to cool the feet and mud is good for that. We use ice water in buckets for cooling if necessary for a strong pulse. Banamine too for a horse that might have gotten out on spring grass unknowingly. I have heard of vets give biosponge for grass or grain overload for horses that have escaped and gotten into trouble. digital pulse, you can google on how to take it for better description, but it is found by placing your fingers on either side of the fetlock gently. You should be very familiar on how to do this with minis. I was taking pulses on my guys yesterday even though they are in a dry lot I am feeling what resting pulse is so I know when I have a problem. I have lived through founder twice. Once was during a drought on a full sized horse. Didn't know about grasses storing sugar during drought. The other was a pony we had that had cushings. He was not heavy and he did not have a cresty neck and he shed out just fine. No symptoms. Positive results of cushings delivered after we lost him to complications of treating founder. Founder is mean. I hate it. My boys are in a dry lot with pea gravel. Pea gravel supports the frog and makes nice feet. My boys get very limited grazing this time of year. I feed a fine grass hay that I pay through the nose for, but well worth it since treating founder can be very expensive. I use muzzles for turn out. If the grass gets too lush, they get no free grazing without muzzles. Pastures with a lot of clover can be a problem for founder according to my vet. I also feed probiotics this time of year. Can't hurt. Best wishes folks.

Added to say, I once had a pony that the neighbor kids let out at night. It took me 3 hours to find him. He got plenty of spring grass. By the time I found him he had a strong digital pulse in all 4 feet but was not rocked back on his heels. (newbies, when the toes hurt the horse will rock back on heels and begin to shuffle. Toes feel much pressure and they want to get off the feet). We treated with banamine and cold watered his feet. He did not founder. I felt like I dodged a bullet. You can still do all this and still have founder but at least you know you did everything you could. I plan to put my chubby boy on remission today just to be safe since he is fat on air this year and I suspect he might be insulin resistant. cheers.

 

[Foxhaven]

Didn't think I'd be grateful for crappy mountain pasture, but here I am, grateful!

Still, it is greening up (VERY early stages) so we'll keep a watch out.

RE mowing when it is wet... considered a sickle mower? Might be able to borrow or rent one?

 

[MyMiniGal]

So far, the ones that the ranch owner has felt, that were slightly warm, haven't foundered. She did tell me if you feel them hot, then it is too late, that is why she feels for any least bit of difference in the temp. All I know, as a newbie, is I like how careful she is being.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I tried to find the pulse by watching a video, but was not successful. Perhaps someone could share a link with such a video and I will try again? Equine dentist was out this week and I wish I'd asked her vet tech to show me. We talked about hot feet and spring grass, but they assumed I knew more than I did (even my knowing about spring grass risk surprised them) so they probably didn't think to educate me more.

Finding the pulse and learning about it is now top of my to-know list. Maybe I should try it on a large horse so I'd get a better idea of location.

 

[shorthorsemom]

stand in "pick up hoof" position. Run your hand down leg with your forefinger on inside and your thumb on ourside and pause at fetlock keeping your forefinger and thumb bracketing the point of the fetlock where you would give a little soft pinch when you want your horse to pick up their foot. you want the hoof on the ground for easiest reading. The location is at the point on the back of the fetlock where the leg goes from leg into the bulb of the fetlock is where I feel for a pulse. On a normal hoof you can barely feel it , it is that soft so you might be doing it right and your horse is just fine. On a horse with issues this pulse has a strong beat and you can feel it in your fingers and it is not hard to find.. No beat and/or a soft beat is normal. If you can feel a strong pulsing like a heartbeat in the leg you are getting into danger zone. Hope this helps. Any vet will teach you how to feel if they are out for routine exam. http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/health/first_aid/eqpulse178/

I do mine a little differently but this is a good photo link for a different way to feel. good luck, remember if you cannot barely find the pulse that is a good thing.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

HUrrah. Hopefully that is what is happening for me--the pulse is difficult to find so the hoof is all right. Thanks for being so helpful!

 

[shorthorsemom]

I wasn't sure I was doing it right until I had a problem. It is then that you say "oh my". Very easy to feel then. My vet showed me how.